The blackspot seabream, Pagellus bogaraveo, is a sparid fish of great economic importance in the northeast Atlantic. The main aim of this work was to assess the infection levels and diversity of anisakid nematodes parasitizing P. bogaraveo from Portuguese waters. The anisakid larvae were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and ten different patterns were observed, four of which were not previously reported in the literature. Moreover, several species were detected for the first time in this host: Anisakis simplex × Anisakis pegreffii hybrids, Anisakis ziphidarum, Anisakis typica, Anisakis physeteris, as well as three undescribed anisakids Anisakis sp. PB-2009, Anisakis sp. PB-2010, and Contracaecum sp. PB-2010. The ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region was sequenced and analyzed phylogenetically, revealing that our anisakids were distributed by the two distinct clades reported previously, corresponding to the two recognized larval morphotypes. Moreover, a group of organisms, including our specimens from Madeira and the previously reported Anisakis sp. HC-2005, cluster together and seem to belong to clade I. A certain degree of intraspecific diversity was also detected. Samples from mainland waters had the highest infection levels and were dominated by A. pegreffii. Madeira had the highest diversity overall, dominated by Anisakis sp. PB-2010. Fish from the Azores had the lowest infection levels, and the species with the highest relative abundance was A. physeteris. The anisakid nematode communities were relatively similar in mainland waters but very distinct in both the Azores and Madeira islands, suggesting the existence of at least three different stocks of P. bogaraveo in the northeast Atlantic.

The primary aim of the present study was to conduct a 1-yr parasitological survey of a Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel population from the Aveiro Estuary, Portugal. In addition, we attempted to assess the host response to parasites by examining host histopathology, including an evaluation of hemocyte infiltration and parasite encapsulation. The parasites present (prevalence) included the following: 1 protozoan, Nematopsis sp. (70%); 1 turbellarian, Urastoma cyprinae, (39%); 2 trematodes, Diphtherostomum sp. (58%) and Prosorhynchus crucibulum (0.3%); 3 crustaceans, Bathylaophonte azorica (0.3%); and 2 species of Mytilicola sp. (3.5%), M. intestinalis and M. orientalis. Highest prevalences for the most abundant species occurred in summer and autumn. Histological sections of the mantle of infected mussels revealed a marked reduction in the reproductive tissue, indicating that P. crucibulum invades the mussel and promotes a severe damage to its reproductive capacity.

CiiMar, Centro interdisciplinar de investigação Marinha e ambiental, universidade do Porto, rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.SuMMarY: We studied the use of parasites as biological tags for discriminating fish stocks of Aphanopus carbo (osteichthyes: trichiuridae) from Portugal (Sesimbra on the mainland, Madeira and the azores). Sixteen different metazoan parasites were found (14 from Madeira, 9 from Sesimbra and 7 from the azores). Some parasites occurred only in fish from Madeira. the prevalence and mean intensity of the infection was recorded for each parasite and locality, and their values were statistically compared between the three sampling localities and related to host length classes. the differences between some of these parameters were statistically significant among the three localities or between two of them. it is suggested that 6 parasites (Tentacularia coryphaenae, Sphyriocephalus tergestinus, Campbelliella heteropoeciloacantha, Anisakis spp., Bolbosoma vasculosum and unidentified acanthocephala larvae) can be used as biological tags to discriminate Portuguese stocks of Aphanopus carbo.Keywords: parasites, biological tags, Aphanopus carbo, fish, Portugal. reSuMen: Uso de parásitos como marcadores biológicos en la identificación de stocks de sable negro, AphAnopus cArbo Lowe, 1839 (Osteichthyes: Trichiuridae) en aguas portuguesas. -Se estudió el uso de parásitos como marcadores biológicos para discriminar los stocks de Aphanopus carbo (osteichthyes, trichiuridae) de Portugal (Sesimbra en el continente, Madeira y azores islas). dieciséis parásitos metazoarios fueron encontrados (14 en Madeira, 9 en Sesimbra y 7 en azores). algunos parásitos se presentaron sólo en Madeira. la prevalencia y la intensidad media de las infecciones fueron calculadas para cada parásito y cada región, y sus valores fueron comparados estadísticamente entre los tres lugares de muestreo, y relacionados con la talla del huésped. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre algunos de estos parámetros de las tres regiones o entre dos de ellas. Se sugiere que 6 parásitos (Tentacularia coryphaenae, Sphyriocephalus tergestinus, Campbelliella heteropoeciloacantha, Anisakis spp., Bolbosoma vasculosum y larvas no identificadas de acanthocephala) pueden ser usados como marcadores biológicos para discriminación de stocks de Aphanopus carbo de Portugal.

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Blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, is a carangid fish which constitutes an important commercial resource in the north-east Atlantic. Its metazoan parasite community from Portuguese mainland waters was investigated here for the first time. Nine parasite taxa were found, most of which are common parasites of Trachurus spp. The parasite community was broadly similar to that of the Atlantic horse mackerel, T. trachurus, from the same region, but two digenean species were detected in blue jack mackerel, Monascus filiformis and Tergestia sp., which did not occur in horse mackerel from this region. A comparison with the two previous studies of T. picturatus parasite communities shows that continental-shelf regions are characterized by higher prevalences of digenean trematodes and an absence of trypanorhynch cestodes, in contrast with oceanic regions.

Life is a self-maintaining process based on metabolism. Something is said to be alive when it exhibits organization and is actively involved in its own continued existence through carrying out metabolic processes. A life is a spatio-temporally restricted event, which continues while the life processes are occurring in a particular chunk of matter (or, arguably, when they are temporally suspended, but can be restarted at any moment), even though there is continuous replacement of parts. Life is organized in discrete packages, particular cells and multicellular organisms with differing degrees of individuality. Biological species, too, have been shown to be individuals, and not classes, as these collections of organisms are spatio-temporally localized, restricted, continuous, and somewhat cohesive entities, with a definite beginning and end. Assuming that all life on Earth has a common origin, all living organisms, cells, and tissues descending from this origin exhibit continuity of the life processes at the cellular level, as well as many of the features that define the individual character of species: spatio-temporal localization and restriction, continuity, historicity, and cohesiveness. Therefore, life on Earth is an ontological individual. Independent origins of life will have produced other such individuals. These provisionally called 'life-individuals' constitute a category of organization of life which has seldom been recognized. The discovery of at least one independent life-individual would go a long way toward the project of the universality of biology.